[pic: ‘modern times’ michael fassbender and natalia vodianova]When Mercury – planet of ideas combines with Venus – planet of desires, our attention to aesthetics and beauty becomes more attuned. We find ourselves trying to communicate as artfully, smoothly and gracefully as possible about the things we enjoy and turn us on. Good looks and fine design become such an issue that we develop a whole language with others around how we can convey what feels and looks fine.

Our ability to use language in such a way that skillfully articulates the values and qualities our heart finds appealing can serve as a useful peace-making device. It also invites others to exchange their own opinions in a manner that’s harmonious and appreciative. Their feedback only adds value to those things we may enjoy, generally enhancing our own appreciation. On these terms, we tend to attract peers who have similar tastes.

First conjunction 2018, Sunday March 04

On this particular merging of our two innermost planets is occuring in the late degrees of Pisces (27°♓13′) – only hours before both planets conjunct outer planetoid Chiron. This creates a particularly rare triple conjunction, marking this combination with very a unique flavour since Pisces is exceptionally sensitive, yet not particularly definite about anything. As far as attractions go it tends to accept whatever is coming in (no distinctions or boundaries) as well as to surrender itself to whatever or whomever it sends itself out.

Although this triple conjunction is a rare phenomenon, lasting only a few hours, Mercury and Venus will continue to maintain a tight conjunction between them up until the March 21 Equinox. Due to retrogradation, Mercury will form two more conjunctions to Venus in 2018. However, this is by far the most important due to Chiron’s involvement, and its hurtful/soothing themes will leave lasting effects through the months (and years) ahead.

The Chiron influence happening on March 4 will leave a biting ache for some time to come. Here it would suggest that the usual language around themes of love and appreciation carries a certain charge, perhaps an achingly mournful, deeply hurtful, yet also potentially soothing tone. Words can cut deep, and words about how we look can become a point of feeling excluded rather than be part of something ‘nice’. There’s all kinds of shame and inadequateness tied up with how we normally would like to describe as aesthetically beautiful, peaceful and loving.

Why does this happen? It may be due to peer-based wounds and stigmas that are pushed into the fore, or triggered from our own youth, were we wanted to fel integrated into a ‘kind’ but were unkindly rejected. This pushes our natural tastes and pleasures out into the outer, making us feel marginalised about our choices rather than inviting us to dance in the centre of ‘where it’s at’.

Therefore, this moment raises all kinds of questions and discussions about whether or not we feel adequate enough to be live up to modern aesthetic ideals, and possibly bring light upon those things which are blocking our sense of acceptance. For instance, society is obsessed with beautiful bodies and certain standards of aesthetic expression. If ours somehow fail to meet others’ (or even our own) ideals, it may trigger certain wounds, especially if we feel that we are not meeting up with these.

You may ask yourself whether you are you the right shape, gender, colour, height, even sexuality? Or perhaps it’s more than physical. Maybe you are asking yourself if you, or someone close to you are worthy of being loved, emotionally capable of expressing joy and beauty without feeling dispirited.

Chiron gives the impression that there is something not quite right about us, and so, in Pisces, we can become quite incredibly impressionable, confused and hypersensitive in our reaction, become sad or despondent, feel victimised or vilified. We may buy into the opinion that we don’t quite meet up to a particular ideal or standard, either projected onto us by others, or in self-reflection. Of course, with Pisces, the remedy is to look to a more spiritual, intrinsic value rather than a physical or intellectual. The argument then becomes about what we don’t see, and the language around this can become rather challenging.

It’s not unlikely that people with inexplicable body issues or strange sensitivities about their tastes in art, fashion, music, presentation etc, would feel the pull to identify with their pain rather than in celebration of these.

What we allow to grow inside our mind will settle there, eventually move to the heart unless we can find an effective way to work it out. For instance, we may spend a lot of mental and emotional energy or effort trying to be accepted in tribes that are not in our ‘soul DNA’. We become the subject of study and rescue for others, imagined to not have our own thought patterns, be someone who just flutters from here to there, wanting to be loved, accepted, understood. Like the misfit teenager who wants so badly to integrate with the in crowd, but will never truly be accepted because they are inherently different in every way.

Rather than learning to be discerning, to walk away from a table that has no seat reserved for us, we hover around and play into the discontent of not fitting in. We take it hard, often judging ourselves on the most superficial values, harping upon these details like an spotty-faced adolescent child in front of the mirror, virtually incapacitated from truly taking part in ordinary social functions. It is difficult to communicate self-love to such a mind, whose unformed maturity defines beauty and love through the lens of an imaginary insipidness not suitable to its intrinsic nature.

The quest would hence become to learn to love and accept oneself.

Self-love means accepting who we are and coming to deal with the perceived flaws that we live with. The debilitating wound is not just in our superficial scars – it runs much deeper. It’s painful enough to find out that so much of what we have been taught to believe, or have come to value as acceptable or pretty is actually used to control us. To experience true joy, we must learn to desist from defining happiness through the lens of ‘society’s’ filter – one that is filled with so many judgements and contradictions. Contradictions, because essentially we have so much to unlearn and decondition ourselves from.

We see it now, with issues of sexuality, gender identity, artistic freedom, sexual adequacy, body pride, money-earning intelligence, natural likeability and talent to speak in ways that are socially acceptable/popular. These become the main themes of discussion and debate, and they can either heal us or cut us down if we are not able to successfully speak what’s in our hearts.

Unless we embrace the glorious mess that we are, the true power and sheer beauty that lies within, we may never get to truly triumph over the chaos that (in our minds) renders us inadequate or ugly. It is the sense of knowing our inner beauty, and the courage to denounce the social norms that limit us based on who it says we are that actually heals us. To make history, we need to upset the system that is intent on controlling and marginalising us, step into our centre, align our mind with our heart, and go with the flow and the rhythm of synchronicity. Only this will lead us to our tribe.